Healthy recipes from 'Cook. Nourish. Glow'

The Social

January 28, 2016

The Social

Amelia Freer first started learning about nutrition when she was an assistant to Prince Charles! Now she's a nutritional therapist with a roster of clients that include some of Britain's biggest celebs, like Sam Smith, Boy George and James Corden.

Here are some of the recipes from her debut cookbook, Cook. Nourish. Glow.

Green is my favourite colour and greens are my favourite foods, so wherever I can I try to eat them in as many different, creative ways as possible. These green burgers are surprisingly filling and utterly tasty – so go green!

Ingredients:
For the green sauce:

3/4 cup coconut yogurt

1 teaspoon salted capers

1 salted anchovy

zest and juice of 1 large lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

a small bunch of fresh chives

a small bunch of fresh parsley

a small bunch of fresh mint

For the burgers:

3/4 cup frozen baby peas

3/4 cup frozen baby fava beans

3 ounces fresh spinach

a small bunch of fresh basil

a small bunch of fresh parsley

1/2 pound small cooked shrimp

1 heaping tablespoon arrowroot powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 large egg, preferably free-range or organic, beaten

coconut oil

Method:

To make the green sauce, blend all the ingredients roughly in a food processor. For the burgers, blanch the baby peas and baby fava beans in salted boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, then scoop out and put into iced water. Once cold, drain and set aside.

Blanch the spinach, basil and parsley together for 1 minute, then scoop out and put into iced water. Squeeze the cooked spinach and herbs with your hands to get rid of as much water as possible.

Put all the ingredients, except the egg and the coconut oil, into a food processor. Add the egg gradually while pulsing the mixture into a rough paste (not too smooth). Using your hands, form the mixture into 12 small rounds and ﬂatten each one slightly to form burgers.

Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a small, deep, non-stick frying pan—the oil should be approximately 1⁄8 inch deep. Working in batches, lay the green patties in the pan and lower the heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Serve the green burgers with a little green salad and the green sauce.

BRUSSELS SPOUTS, BACON, TURNIP AND APPLE WITH POACHED EGG
Serves 2

Brussels sprouts are abundant in valuable nutrients, such as vitamins C and K, folate and manganese. They work brilliantly alongside the other crunchy components of this dish, all bound together by the rich poached egg. Perfect for a chilly autumnal day.

Ingredients:

8 slices smoked Canadian bacon

½ pound Brussels sprouts coconut oil

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 8 small wedges

2 small turnips, cut into ½-inch cubes a pinch of sea salt

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 large eggs, preferably free-range or organic

Method:

Put the bacon into a large cold non-stick frying pan. Turn the heat to low and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally until crispy.

Blanch the Brussels sprouts in a large saucepan of boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes before lifting them out of the pan and into a bowl of iced water. (Keep the pan of water ready for blanching the turnip cubes and poaching your eggs.) Once the sprouts are cold, drain and set aside.

Use the bacon pan to cook the Brussels sprouts, wiping the bacon fat out ﬁrst and adding 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Stir the sprouts for 5 minutes and set aside. Add another tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan and do the same with the sliced and peeled apple, until golden and softened but still holding its shape. Set aside.

Blanch the turnip cubes in boiling water for 5 minutes until tender, then add to the large frying pan with a pinch of salt. While the turnips are crisping, poach your eggs in the pan of simmering water with the apple cider vinegar. Add the Brussels sprouts and apples back to the pan with the turnip and cook for another minute or two to warm through. Serve with the crisp bacon and a poached egg.

BOY GEORGE'S STEAMED ASPARAGUS WITH PUMPKIN-SEED SALSA VERDE

This is a salsa verde that Boy George often makes, and since he shared his recipe with me, I now make it all the time too. As is his generous nature, he has shared it with us all. We had a lovely time making it (and eating it) together.

Ingredients:

1 bulb of fennel, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons capers, or olives if you prefer

2 handfuls of pumpkin seeds

1 handful of fresh mint leaves

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast ﬂakes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large bunch of asparagus, trimmed

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

First make the salsa verde. Put the fennel, capers (or olives), pumpkin seeds, mint and yeast ﬂakes into a small food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the olive oil and pulse again until well incorporated— you might need to add extra oil to bring the salsa verde together.

Steam the asparagus for 3 minutes, then serve with the salsa verde drizzled over, or as a dip on the side. Season to taste.

WINTER OXTAIL STEW WITH PUMPKIN AND KALE
Serves 4

What I love about this stew is that all of the nutrients and health-promoting collagen seep out of the oxtail while it slowly cooks, making this dish not only rich in ﬂavor but also incredibly nutritious. Serve with veggies—I love it with parsnip and ginger mash (see opposite) or with a portion of kimchi.

Ingredients:

2 small onions, ﬁnely chopped

2 small carrots, thickly sliced

1½ cups pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into ¾-inch cubes

a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and ﬁnely grated

2 red chilies, deseeded and ﬁnely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, ﬁnely chopped

2 pounds oxtail pieces, trimmed of any excess fat

2 x 13.5-ounce cans of chopped tomatoes

2 cups water

3 tablespoons ﬁsh sauce

1 piece of kombu seaweed

1 large handful of kale, stems removed, washed and roughly chopped

Method:

Mix together the onions, carrots, pumpkin, ginger, chilies and garlic and put them into a slow cooker. Push the oxtail pieces down into the vegetable mixture.

Mix the chopped tomatoes, water and ﬁsh sauce together and pour over the oxtail and vegetables, ensuring everything is covered, adding a little extra water if needed.

Add the kombu to the liquid and stew for 5 to 6 hours on a high setting, or 8 to 12 hours on a low setting. Add the kale for the last 5 minutes of cooking time and remove the kombu before serving.